Stonehenge

STONEHENGE

We were staying in a hotel near Euston, London. Changing couple of trains (underground) and buses, we reached Salisbury. From Salisbury, we took a tour bus. This is the place where if you turn left, you will find yourself next to this world heritage site called, Stonehenge. You can see that even from distance. This picture was taken from the bus we were travelling, from the top deck.

History about this place (Source: various websites)
Mystery surrounds this 5,000 year old World Heritage Site. As old as the pyramids in Egypt, was Stonehenge designed as a place of sun worship, or as part of a huge astronomical calendar?

Each monument was a circular structure, aligned with the rising sun at the solstice. Erected between 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC, the stones were carried hundreds of miles over land and sea, while antlers and bones were used to dig the pits that hold the stones. An awe-inspiring family visit, Stonehenge is a powerful reminder of the once-great Stone and Bronze Ages.

If you look closer you will find that only a part of the structure is still standing. The audio tour and the museum tour would reveal that many people believed tales around these structured and took stone peieces along with them to build their homes, hence this view. I have attached an artists' view of the full temple (?). Each stone is weighing many tonnes and in those days without cranes and heavy machines how did they manage to lift and bury them under the ground is still a mystery? Yes, what you see is only two third of the length. What on earth these guys were building, it beats me till date!!

To tell you the truth, I was a bit dissapointed at the sight of this monument. It could have been better protected, the kind of hype that it created in my mind about the mystery is short lived after I saw this structure for the first time. In the village side of my country (India, South India in specific), you will find such structures. ofcourse in small sizes and many by the road side. The purpose of such structures is to offload your luggage on the wayside to take rest and continue the journey when ready. Those days there were no vehicles to move around. Most of the people walked long distances and those who carried heavy luggage found these stone structures extremly helpful. But the mystery surrounding these structures haunts you too!

However, I would like to admit that this place grows on you, the more you see this place it brings in that feeling of magic and takes you to a different place. I went around this place wearing just my sweater, in the biting cold... I did'nt carry my windsheeter and found it extremely difficult to bear the cold wind. It affected me very heavily, I was suffering from running nose till I landed in Delhi airport. Travel tip: Pls carry warm clothes in case you are travelling in the month of October /November.

THANKS TO K7, without her, I wonder if I would have ever ventured out of London, this far. She is the one who braved the little detour and helped me understand that touring around alone can be fun. I always thought, sight seeing can be fun as long as you have good company. A good companion is all I need to enjoy my trip. She infact subtly made me understand both sides of it. Next time around, I would venture out on my own to far off places and test myself.

In case you are wondering what did we have there for food, half a slice of bread. Yes, I am not kidding, by the time we ordered some soup and bread the bus arrived. That was the last bus and we need to pay heavily to get back to the railway station, so I dropped the idea of waiting for the hot soup and instead grabbed the bread piece to catch the bus in time.

Tip: Please buy your snacks while visiting such places in UK, esp, if you are a Veggie lover.